Intervals are really important in music. They help shape musical scales and are the basic parts that make up melodies and harmonies.

So, what is an interval?

An interval is the distance between two musical notes. We measure this distance in whole steps and half steps. Knowing about intervals helps musicians create and spot different scales.

Basic Intervals

Here are some simple intervals you might want to know:

1. Unison: 0 half steps (same note)
2. Minor Second: 1 half step (very close together)
3. Major Second: 2 half steps
4. Minor Third: 3 half steps
5. Major Third: 4 half steps
6. Perfect Fourth: 5 half steps
7. Perfect Fifth: 7 half steps
8. Minor Sixth: 8 half steps
9. Major Sixth: 9 half steps
10. Minor Seventh: 10 half steps
11. Major Seventh: 11 half steps
12. Octave: 12 half steps (the same note but higher)

How Scales are Made

Scales are made up of specific orders of these intervals. For example:

• Major Scale: You can create this scale with the pattern of W-W-H-W-W-W-H (where W means whole step and H means half step). This gives you seven different pitches.

• Minor Scale: The natural minor scale uses the pattern W-H-W-W-H-W-W.

Some Fun Facts

• In Western music, there are 12 unique notes in an octave.
• These notes help form many different scales, like major, minor, and pentatonic scales.
• The major and minor scales are the most popular and make up about 75% of the music we hear in today's songs.

In summary, intervals are the key pieces that help shape musical scales. They greatly affect how music is created and played.